After seeing off a resilient Toulon side at the weekend – becoming the first Leinster team ever to beat the southern French club – Leo Cullen’s men now return to Bilbao, where they last lifted the Champions Cup, with a battle-hardened side eager to right some wrongs.
The Irish side have not lifted the trophy since 2018, and the hunt for the elusive fifth star has since brought a series of near misses, close calls and frustration for a team that holds itself to the highest standards.
Leinster have reached four of the last five Champions Cup finals, and after a shock exit last year in the semi-final against Northampton Saints, the team picked themselves up again and went on to win the United Rugby Championship in a barnstorming performance against the South African Bulls.
As a long-time Leinster supporter, I’ve found this season to be one of the most interesting and dynamic in recent years – and surprisingly hopeful despite the inconsistency.
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Has Leinster shifted away from pure attacking dominance?
For years, Leinster have been putting heavy scores on teams and attacking in such an aggressive way that at times it seemed like there was no Plan B.
Since the addition of Jaques Nienaber after the World Cup, a lot of Leinster’s set play is focused around a rushed defence, which is a trademark of the South African style of rugby.
Despite a bedding-in period at the start of the season, over the last few weeks, this new system seems to be taking hold with the players and has a stranglehold on the opposition.
As for a Plan B, the “turn and burn” also seems to have stuck, most noticeably with Rieko Ione’s try-saving tackle at the weekend.
Because we’re so used to seeing Leinster dominate, it’s naturally become what’s expected of the team and fans, but personally, I’m seeing a different side to this season’s Leinster.
The inconsistency is normal for most teams, but unusual for a team so stocked with internationals; however, that team is made of people who get injured and have bad days just like anyone else.
Maybe this inconsistency has helped to relieve some of the pressure and force the players to accept new strategies and ways of thinking?
PICTURE: Alamy
Can Leinster handle Bordeaux in a defining test?
Cullen appeared to vent some uncharacteristic frustration in last Saturday’s press conference, saying that the media love to “stick the boot in” to Leinster rugby and as a former player who has both won and lost the Champions Cup, it’s hard to think of anyone feeling the pressure more than him.
In order to win, Leinster will have to overturn the fiercely talented juggernaut Bordeaux Begles, who lifted the trophy themselves for the first time last year and will undoubtedly be the toughest opponent Leinster will face this season.
Not often do Leinster wear the “underdog tag”, but if the team accept how their season has been, improves where needed, and above all else, remembers that they themselves are a juggernaut, then there is every chance that we will finally see that fifth star on the jersey.
READ MORE: Leinster 29-25 Toulon: Leo Cullen’s side hold on to keep the French side at bay
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